| | | | The showdown in Georgia is over -- now it's time to count | | Polls have closed in the high-stakes special election for a House seat in Georgia, and as the first results roll in, it looks like Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel are in a very close race.
A Democrat and a Republican involved in the race both used the same phrase to describe how tight it is: "Coin flip."
This was already the most expensive House race in history -- and one that was expected to set the tone for President Donald Trump's ability to move legislation on Capitol Hill, and for Democrats' hopes of retaking the House by picking off typically red suburban districts in the 2018 midterms.
... And then the rain came -- leading Republicans to grow just a little more optimistic. That's in part because though it rained all day throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, the heaviest downpours were in DeKalb County, which is the most Democratic part of the district. Heavy rain can depress voter turnout. Democrats expect to have an advantage in the 140,000 early votes cast, so that's theoretically good for them -- but things change if the rain had a disproportionate effect on the district's most Democratic region. There's no real way to know whether that happened, though, until those results are reported.
The county to watch is Fulton -- where Ossoff needs at least a tie. Here's what else to watch.
Election day was pretty smooth sailing. DeKalb County extended voting to 7:30 p.m. in two precincts after logistical mixups with electronic voting machines early in the day, but that looks to be the only problem at the polls. | | "It's become a little bit of an arms race." -- Democrat Jon Ossoff, whose campaign raised $23 million to compete in a Georgia 6th District House contest that topped $50 million overall, on CNN's "New Day." | | | Senate GOP speeding toward health care vote | | From CNN's Phil Mattingly, MJ Lee and Lauren Fox: Senate Republicans are pushing full steam ahead toward a vote by the end of next week on the health care bill that almost nobody has seen yet. In a political exercise that is coming down to the wire, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today that a "discussion draft" of the bill that would repeal and replace Obamacare -- which has so far been kept closely under wraps -- will be released this Thursday.
The aim is to send final legislation to the Congressional Budget Office this week so that the CBO can review the bill and issue a report early next week before a vote that would likely happen next Thursday, June 29. The abbreviated schedule is a dramatic bet that Republicans can secure the 51 votes they need to pass a bill that could hurt them politically, with no guarantee it will ever become law. A failure would also be another setback for President Donald Trump, who has had few legislative wins to show in his first five months in office.
| | So this happened: GOP Sen. Marco Rubio welcomed President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump at Capitol Hill today for a meeting with lawmakers about tax reform, but the Internet quickly jumped on how awkward their hug looked in photos.
The two quickly took to Twitter to control the narrative. | | 2 things you might have missed today | | Justice Department unveils plan to fight violent crime in 12 cities: The DOJ unveiled an initiative to combat violent crime, announcing a deal to provide more federal resources to 12 select cities across the nation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the new program will specifically focus on reducing gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence. More from CNN's Laura Jarrett.
State Department says the US is "mystified" by continued embargo of Qatar: The United States is "mystified" over the continued blockade of Qatar by its Gulf neighbors, a top State Department spokeswoman said, calling once again for a de-escalation of the diplomatic crisis. More from CNN's Laura Koran. | | | US spy satellites detect new activity at North Korea's underground nuclear test site for the first time in several weeks. ... Two college students warn of increasingly stifled speech on college campuses at a Senate judiciary committee hearing. ... White House press secretary Sean Spicer says he doesn't know whether President Donald Trump believes Russia was behind interference in the 2016 election. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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